Bulls-76ers Preview

By MATT BECKER
Posted Jan 31 2012 4:02PM

Strong defense has keyed impressive starts for the Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers.

Of course, the Bulls also benefit from Derrick Rose's ability to take over games.

Chicago hopes Rose's determination to atone for his humiliating performance over the weekend still burns when the Bulls visit the 76ers in a matchup of division leaders Wednesday night.

After Rose missed two free throws and a possible tying jumper in the final 23 seconds of a 97-93 loss to Miami on Sunday, the reigning MVP vowed that he would not let the Bulls (18-5) down like that again.

He got a chance for redemption a day later in Washington and quickly set the tone in a 98-88 victory. Rose scored 13 first-quarter points and 15 in the third as Chicago built a 22-point lead. He finished with a season-high 35 points, going 10 of 20 from the field and 14 of 15 from the foul line.

"He comes out like it's his will," coach Tom Thibodeau said of Rose, who has scored 34, 34 and 35 in his last three games. "He imposes his will on everybody."

If Rose is looking for another past shortcoming for motivation, the 76ers were one of only two teams to take a series from the Bulls last season. Chicago dropped two of three to the Sixers in 2010-11 and in the last meeting March 28, Rose scored 31 points but also had a career-worst 10 turnovers in a 97-85 defeat.

Philadelphia (15-6) is atop the Atlantic Division as it's been able to take advantage of a soft schedule. The competition, however, is about to get much more difficult.

After facing the Bulls, the Sixers host the Heat on Friday and visit Atlanta the following night. They then open a three-game homestand against the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio and the Clippers.

Philadelphia enters this tough stretch after beating underachieving Orlando 74-69 on Monday for its third consecutive victory.

"That was a much-needed win for us here with what we have ahead of us this week," coach Doug Collins said.

The Sixers, who lead the league in scoring defense at 86.1 points per game - just ahead of Chicago's 87.4 - had another solid defensive showing in shutting down the scuffling Magic. Philadelphia limited Orlando to nine third-quarter points - its fewest allowed in any quarter this season - and is yielding an average of 71.7 points and 35.5 percent shooting during its winning streak.

While the defense shined, Philadelphia struggled mightily on offense, finishing with a season-low point total and shooting 33.3 percent. Andre Iguodala had 14 points, making him the only Sixers starter to reach double figures.

Reserve Louis Williams, who averages a team-best 15.3 points for a team that relies on a balanced attack, had nine points and shot 4 of 13.

Although the Sixers won, they know they'll have to play better to keep up with Rose, who also finally got some support in the Washington game.

When he scored 34 against the Heat, no other Bull scored more than 11. Against the Wizards, Carlos Boozer had 18 points, Kyle Korver scored 17 and Joakim Noah chipped in with 14 points, 13 rebounds and a career high-tying seven assists.

Boozer, averaging 20.8 points in Chicago's last six victories compared to his total of 21 in its previous two defeats, averaged 20.7 points and 11.0 rebounds against the Sixers last season.

Iguodala leads 76ers past Bulls 98-82

By DAN GELSTON
Posted Feb 01 2012 10:47PM

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Fun to watch, tough to beat. The 76ers have stamped themselves as a rising threat in the East.

Andre Iguodala helped the Philadelphia 76ers take down one of the NBA's top teams, scoring 19 points and grabbing nine rebounds in a 98-82 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.

Iguodala outplayed Derrick Rose and stuffed a month's worth of dazzling highlight video plays into one game. His one-handed dunks, around-the-back passes, and big 3s helped the Sixers lead the Eastern Conference-leading Bulls by 20 at the end of the third quarter.

In front of 18,325 fans, the Sixers confidence is skyrocketing along with the crowds at the Wells Fargo Center.

Thaddeus Young scored 19 points, Lavoy Allen had 15 and Lou Williams 14, all off the bench for the Sixers.

The Sixers (16-6) had used a soft schedule to race to their best start in nearly a decade. No padding their record this week. They beat Orlando on Monday, tamed the Bulls, and go for the home-week sweep against Miami on Friday.

The Sixers won their fourth straight game and improved to 12-2 at home. The Sixers didn't win their 16th game last season until Game 39.

"They're a very good team," said an impressed Rose.

Wins against Orlando and Chicago should silence critics around the league who said the Sixers thrived because of an early schedule packed with lightweights from both conferences.

"`Who've you beat?' I heard that. `Inferior teams,' I heard that," coach Doug Collins said.

Nearly 20,000 fans going wild after a win over the best in the East? He heard that, too.

Iguodala is leading the way.

Long a scapegoat for being an $80 million player on a mediocre team, Iguodala walked off the court during a substitution late in the third quarter to a standing ovation.

"When we needed him, he really made that huge spurt," Collins said.

Iguodala scored nine points in the third - when the Sixers held the Bulls to 11 total in the quarter. Rose went 1 for 5 from the floor and the Bulls missed 13 of 16 shots in the quarter.

At times, Iguodala played like he was in a pickup game, dunking with style in front of a raucous crowd. His wowed the crowd on a fastbreak when he took the ball behind his back, then tossed a scoop pass to Jrue Holiday in stride for a jumper and a 58-46 lead. Holiday scored 17.

Iguodala even got a rise out of the crowd on a normal play. He grabbed a defensive rebound just below Chicago's free throw line, casually dribbled to the 3-point line, stopped and swished the shot, stunning the Bulls.

Late in the third, Williams and Allen hit consecutive jumpers, and Holiday finished with a 3 to lift the Sixers to a stunning 75-55 lead.

Collins scolded the team after beating the Magic for letting a big lead turn into a soft finish. The Bulls pulled within 12, but Young put a halt to any late spurt with two straight buckets and the lead was pushed back to 15.

"I don't think we've gotten the respect yet from the outside," Iguodala said. "We're starting to get there."

C.J. Watson scored 20 points and Rose had 18 for the Bulls. Chicago's 17 turnovers were turned into 29 points for the Sixers.

The Bulls matched their worst loss of the season.

"They're right there with everyone else," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "Very impressive."

Yes, the Bulls played without Richard Hamilton (right thigh) and Luol Deng (left wrist). But the Sixers came ready to topple the Bulls and caught them off guard early with their frantic defense.

Iguodala blocked a driving Rose, Evan Turner snagged the loose ball and fed to Iguodala on the other end for the bucket. Turner stripped Kyle Korver and that led to an Allen jumper for a 23-19 lead.

Even Collins came extra juiced for the first truly big game of the season for the Sixers. Collins was irate when Iguodala was whistled for a charge and drew a fast technical.

Unlike some technicals that can fire up the other team, the Bulls failed to pull ahead the rest of the half.

Young, one of the top reserves in the NBA, had plenty to do with that. He was in perfect position near the basket to grab a wildly off Iguodala airball, spin around Noah and score. He fell on his rear on a jumper the next time down, then took a perfect pass from Iguodala to finish a fastbreak dunk for a 47-40 lead.

Young scored 11 points in the half and led the Sixers to a 49-44 lead at the break.

Up ahead, LeBron James and the Heat.

"It would be nice if we could somehow finish off the week," Collins said. "I've never been more proud of our guys."

Notes: Thibodeau was named Eastern Conference coach of the month. ... This was the first of three games between the two teams. ... The Sixers outrebounded the Bulls 43-37 and are 10-1 when outrebounding the opposition.

Notebook: Sixers 98, Bulls 82

By Andy Jasner, for NBA.com
Posted Wednesday February 1, 2012 10:11PM

THE FACTS: The Philadelphia 76ers improved to 12-2 at home and 16-6 overall with a stirring 98-82 victory over the Chicago Bulls Wednesday at the Wells Fargo Center. Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young scored 19 points each while Jrue Holiday had 17 points. Rookie Lavoy Allen had a career-high 15 points and five Philadelphia players scored in double figures.

C.J. Watson led the Bulls with 20 points off the bench while Derrick Rose scored 18. They were the only two players in double figures. The Bulls (18-6) are 1-2 on this season-long nine-game road trip, which continues Thursday at New York.

QUOTABLE: "We, as a team, have to stay focused. We can't get ahead of ourselves."
-- Iguodala.

THE STAT: The Sixers' bench scored 50 of their 98 points. That's more than half, if you're counting.

TURNING POINT: The Sixers ripped off a 13-3 run to start the third quarter, extending a 49-44 lead to 15 at 62-47. Iguodala and Holiday ignited the run and the Sixers went on to lead by 20 at the end of the third.

HOT: Allen knocked down seven of his 10 shots for the Sixers. The second-round draft choice from Temple is improving every game.

NOT: Joakim Noah entered the game with five straight double-doubles. While Noah swept seven rebounds, he was 0-for-3 from the field and finished with just two points.

QUOTABLE II: "It feels good with the support we're getting on the court. For me, I think I'm getting a lot of trust from my teammates."
-- Allen.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Once again, Iguodala was active in every aspect with 19 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals. He's playing at a very high level right now.

INSIDE THE ARENA: There was a large crowd of 18,325 for Friday's highly-anticipated matchup with the Bulls. Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson took in the action from a front-row seat. The crowd exploded as the lead swelled to 20 in the second half.

QUOTABLE III: "Our defense wasn't good. I thought our reaction to the ball was very poor."
-- Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, on being outscored 26-11 in the third quarter.

GOOD MOVE: The Sixers attacked the basket and dominated points in the paint. It's important to play an aggressive style and make the Bulls work extremely hard on defense. The Sixers did just that and it paid off.

BAD MOVE: Kyle Korver started strong by knocking down his first three shots. But he only had five shots the rest of the game.

ROOKIE WATCH: Forward Jimmy Butler had five points and four rebounds in 19 minutes for the Bulls. For the Sixers, forward Nikola Vucevic was active but didn't play for the second straight game. Allen was a spark throughout the game and wound up with 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.

NOTABLE: The Sixers have held their opponent under 90 points in each of the past four games. ... The Sixers outrebounded Chicago 43-37 and improved to 10-1 this season when outrebounding the opponent. ... Sixers coach Doug Collins received a technical foul with 3:23 left in the second quarter. He was irate after an offensive foul was whistled on Iguodala. ... Philadelphia played without center Spencer Hawes (left Achilles strain) for the ninth straight game. ... The Bulls played without guard Richard Hamilton (sore right thigh) and forward Luol Deng (left wrist). ... The Sixers scored 29 points off 17 Chicago turnovers. ... The Bulls have dropped three of the last five after starting the season 16-3.

NEXT: For the Bulls, Thursday @ New York, Saturday @ Milwaukee, Monday @ New Jersey. For the Sixers, Friday vs. Miami, Saturday @ Atlanta, Monday vs. L.A. Lakers.

• Bulls: --
• 76ers: Hawes

• Bulls: --
• 76ers: Collins

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 5

• Arena: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
• Officials: #41 Ken Mauer, #29 Mark Lindsay, #73 Tre Maddox
• Attendance: 18325
• Duration: 2:01